Harrington still drawing eyes as Ryder pick

Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington will play on the weekend after all, but he's hardly made a convincing case that he's ready to roll at next week's Ryder Cup.

The controversial wildcard pick by captain Colin Montgomerie scrambled madly on his back nine Friday at the Vivendi Cup outside Paris to make the cut on the number at 2 under, making birdies on three of his last six holes to avoid a potentially embarrassing missed cut.

Harrington, who hasn't won in 25 months or seriously contended in weeks, was the lone player in the world top 50 in the weak Vivendi field and added the event after getting kicked to the curb after two FedEx Cup events in the States. He had hoped to use the tournament as a springboard to success at Celtic Manor in Wales, where the Ryder will be played starting next Friday.

Though he survived the 36-hole cut, Harrington is miles off the pace at an event in which players have been destroying the two tournament courses. Co-leaders John Parry and Jarmo Sandelin are tied at 13 under.

Interestingly, one of Monty's three Ryder vice-captains, Paul McGinley, is among the large group of players ahead of Harrington as the final players on the two courses were finishing the second round.

The decision to give Harrington a spot on the team over Englishmen Paul Casey and Justin Rose has prompted a weeks-long debate on two continents. In Atlanta, Casey on Friday afternoon teed off in a three-way tie for the lead at the PGA Tour's rich FedEx Cup finale and has a terrific chance at claiming the $10 million points bonus.

If he wins, it means a $11.35 million payday and will be interpreted as a fairly emphatic message to Monty and his captains, who elected to pass him over despite a top-10 world ranking.

Harrington still drawing eyes as Ryder pick

Elling, please get off the Casey thing. He didn't automatically qualify, so he has no right to complain. Harrington has three major championships, Casey hasn't even come close. Montgomery obviously feels Paddy's experience will help the team. In a year when the world's top two players were virtually MIA a Top 10 ranking means nothing. The top 50 players in the world are virtually interchangeable. If the Ryder Cup was a priority for Casey and he was as good as you keep saying, he would have ensured that he gain enough points to be on the team.

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of CBS Sports or CBSSports.com